


give me your voice and i’ll give it a listen

by confessionofaking



Category: One Day at a Time (TV 2017)
Genre: Acceptance, Avery is a loving and supportive gf because i said so, Coming Out, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Sad with a Happy Ending, She also doesn’t get much of a backstory in s3 and i don’t remember s4 so i’m making shit up, Trans Pat Schneider, s03e06 One Valentine’s Day at a Time
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-07
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-13 20:42:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29906814
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/confessionofaking/pseuds/confessionofaking
Summary: Schneider opened his mouth to speak, but found himself unable to say anything. Coming out to Avery was vastly different than coming out to the Alvarez family. With them, it was just something new they learned about him, but with her? It affected everything. He wanted a future with Avery, and he knew this could fuck things up.Or, Schneider comes out to Avery and expects the worst.
Relationships: Avery/Schneider (One Day at a Time), Past Avery/OMC
Kudos: 2





	give me your voice and i’ll give it a listen

**Author's Note:**

> howdy folks i'm back with another trans schneider fic bc i'm hyperfixating on odaat again. 
> 
> I don't think there's anything too upsetting in this, but it is, once again, about Schneider's insecurities, except this time with relationships because of his gender.
> 
> Title: How Do You Feel? - The Maine

After fixing the leak in the hot tub, things had quickly gotten rather _passionate_ between Schneider and Avery. Which was fine and good, up until Schneider remembered that he was kind of lacking the equipment that Avery was expecting.

That usually wasn’t a problem because the women he’d hooked up with in the past weren’t paying much attention. He could use a pack and play and they never noticed the difference, or if they did, they didn’t say anything. All they wanted was a one night stand.

Avery was different.

He really liked her, and Schneider knew he had to be honest with her.

“Wait,” Schneider spoke, pulling away from her. “I need to tell you something, before we take this any further.”

Avery just nodded, looking at him expectantly. Schneider opened his mouth to speak, but found himself unable to say anything. Coming out to Avery was _vastly_ different than coming out to the Alvarez family. With them, it was just something new they learned about him, but with her? It affected everything. He wanted a future with Avery, and he knew this could fuck things up. She wanted kids one day. The one thing Schneider could never give her, all because he _had_ to be born the way he was.

“Is everything okay?” She asked, noticing how anxious he looked.

“Hey,” she grabbed his hand, intertwining their fingers. “You can tell me anything, Pat. I care about you and nothing you could say would ever change that.”

Schneider stayed silent for a few minutes, trying to work up the courage to tell her. Avery didn’t push him. She knew that this had to be important for him to be so nervous. It was better for her to just be patient and let him talk when he was ready.

Admittedly, she was nervous too. Avery didn’t have a clue what he was gonna say and she was worried he was planning on dumping her, or confessing that he was married. Or a murderer.

She didn’t know him that well.

“Okay so, I’m not really sure how to tell you, but I’m trans.” Schneider finally spoke, looking at his comforter.

Avery let out a sigh of relief. “Oh thank god, I thought you were gonna tell me you killed someone.”

Schneider forced a laugh, glancing up at her. She didn’t _look_ angry. God only knows what was going on in her head.

Neither spoke for a while, both of them waiting for the other to talk first.

“Okay, so, you’re trans. Like I said, that doesn’t change how I feel about you. Do you wanna talk about it?” Avery asked. Schneider shrugged, picking at a loose thread on the comforter.

“I guess I realized it after I hit puberty. I was able to transition pretty easily since no one actually paid any attention to me growing up. Um, that was part of the reason I started drinking. To help with dysphoria.”

Avery didn’t give a verbal response. She pulled him into a hug, rubbing his back when he started shaking against her.

She held him until he calmed down, sobs turning into quiet sniffles. “Are you okay, Pat?”

“Yeah I just...are you okay with this?” He asked. Avery hated how scared he looked.

“Of course, why wouldn’t I be?”

He shrugged again. “I know you want kids. And I can’t give you that. I’ll understand if that’s a dealbreaker,” His voice wavered, “because I can’t ask you to give that up.”

“Hey,” she spoke, making him look up at her, “Yeah, I _do_ want kids. But there are other options for that. Like, we could totally see if that Max guy you had a crush on is interested.” She joked, laughing as his cheeks turned red.

Schneider groaned, hiding his face with his hands. “I should not have told you about that.”

Avery laughed again before grabbing his hand. “Look, we can figure out the kid thing when we get there. For now, let’s just enjoy what we have here.” He intertwined their fingers, gently squeezing her hand. “Besides, you just came out! We should celebrate! That’s a big deal, and I’m proud of you.”

If Avery noticed the gleam in his eyes, or the way his breath hitched at her words, she didn’t say anything. She simply pulled him in for another hug, placing a kiss on top of his head.

A few minutes passed before Schneider broke the silence that had grown between them. “So, you’re really okay with this?”

“Of course. I couldn’t care less what you have in your pants, babe. You’re a good man, and that’s what matters to me.”

“And for the sake of honestly, you aren’t the first trans guy I’ve dated. Back in college, I dated this guy named Joel. He was great, and I loved him, but it didn’t work out.” She said. “And not because of the kids thing, before you get worried. He realized he was gay. Now he’s one of my best friends. I actually went to his wedding last month! Point is, this doesn’t scare me. Nothing has changed, now I just know a little bit more about you. And you can _always_ talk to me, but if you ever wanna talk to someone who gets it, I can get you in touch with Joel.”

“I-“ Schneider gulped. “Thank you. That means a lot, Avery.”

She didn’t respond, just leaned in and brushed their noses together. It made Schneider smile, a sight that made her heart beat just a little faster.

Eventually, they got up and headed back to the party, hand in hand, happier than ever.


End file.
